Construction Project Timelines - 2023
What does 2023 have in store for Homeowners, Contractors, and the Construction Industry? As a Design/Build Firm with decades of experience remodeling and building homes in the Pacific Northwest, we have navigated some wild changes and crazy trends. In this week’s post we discuss how project planning and timelines have changed for Contractors and Homeowners alike.
With quite a bit of momentum carrying us into the new year we find ourselves learning and adapting like a seasoned boxer, improv comedian, or jam band guitarist. A year ago there were signs that the industry might be on it’s way to normalizing. And, in certain ways it actually has. Though, it turns out that keeping on our toes is a big part of that new normal.
New Normal for Construction Projects
The timelines of individual projects are heavily impacted by changes to permitting & planning, supply chains, and skilled construction workforce being stretched thin. Whether it’s a bathroom remodel or a new home build, the new normal timeline can be nearly double what it was in 2019. Much of this is waiting for materials, permits, and contractors. Without all of these factors syncing up, a project can’t proceed.
Every year the National Association of Home Builders hosts an Industry convention in Las Vegas called the International Builders Show. As part of the IBS conference the NAHB coordinates the construction of a new, state of the art home and tour called The New American Home. The New American Home is an opportunity to apply and showcase “best practices, innovative design concepts, state-of-the-art products and the latest construction techniques. They also do a yearly remodel show home called The New American Remodel. Despite the pressure of being such a high-profile exhibition, and having coordinated these for many years, the state of the industry made it extremely difficult to have TNAH 2023 ready by the event: Jan 31 – Feb 2.
Luxus Design Build was tasked with building the The New American Home 2023. Despite the numerous delays and challenges, turned out to be an amazing, luxurious home. Michael Gardner, Lead Architect of the project, has this to say about the challenges facing the project and the state of the industry in 2023: “It’s now gotten to the point where it seems like we’re more of a logistics company than a construction company. But it’s not just a challenge for The New American Home; it’s the same for all of our other projects, too. And I know most other builders are dealing with the same struggles — it’s just a reflection of where we’re at as an industry.”
“Our biggest challenge has been figuring out when each of the products will show up so we know when to schedule our labor,” said Michael Gardner, principal at Luxus Design Build and lead architect of the 2023 home. “All of our subs have been so busy, and because [product] delays have become so common, no one will commit to a specific date until the product is on site.” Read more from the Project Update.
Changes to Floodplain Development Codes in Lane County
This Summer we saw significant Amendments to Lane County’s Floodplain Development Code as required by FEMA and the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD). These were new standards to maintain membership in the National Flood Insurance Program and ensure future compliance.
With very little warning, in August of 2022 and again in February of 2023 the City of Eugene issued extensive amendments to city codes to meet current Floodplain development standards. FEMA had issued a Letter of Final Determination in March of 2022 and a new Floodplain Insurance Rate Map for the entire US. It would appear that the entire US has been remapped to adapt to changes in climate and geography.
According to the City of Eugene’s website these updated codes affect: “All annexed and unannexed properties located, completely or partially, in a special flood hazard area within the City of Eugene’s Urban Growth Boundary will be impacted by these code amendments. The unannexed lands require joint participation with Lane County for this process.”
It turns out that many hundreds municipalities across the US that reside in floodplains had to scramble. They had to drop everything and adapt their zoning standards to what FEMA issued in March 2022. If you were working on a construction project in one of these floodplains, you have dealt with this nightmare. A year later Municipalities, Contractors, and Homeowners are still dealing with these changes and delays.
Volatility for Project Timetables
No matter your background, you’ve undoubtedly leaned a bit about supply chains and how a disruption can devastate processes to the point that the ripples can continue for years. Understanding that supply chains are still not completely reliable yet, we have two primary recommendations:
- Patience is a tool and an ally. Stress makes it more difficult to navigate these challenges. Stress complicates and complications can get costly.
- Discuss and develop contingencies with your General Contractor. Avoid completely stopping your project if you discover you need to switch gears
Planning and Zoning Departments have to issue updates to their codes all the time. What made the above listed updates of codes & standards such an ongoing nightmare is that every one of these agencies is still in the process of recovering and adapting to the new way of doing things, often short staffed and training/retraining new personnel, when all of this was rolled out. What was once a well oiled machine with a million moving parts that could adapt to anything you threw at it, now experiences ripples with every update.
Project Planning for Homeowners
As you prepare to take on your Remodel, Home Addition, or New Home Build project, the best advice you will get from any Industry professional will be to plan, prepare, decide, and map out as much of your project ahead of time as you can. From there it will be best to balance as much patience as you can muster with clear, regular communication with your Contractors & Project Manager.
Knowing that there is still volatility throughout the Construction Industry, it is best to picture your project as a small scale multi-facetted Supply Chain itself. To view your project in this way helps illustrate how delays and disruptions cause bottlenecking, traffic jams, creating more delays. For as frustrating as these drastically extended timelines are for Clients, there are thousands of industry professionals working hard to design, build, and remodel homes on time and within budget.
John Webb Construction & Design PDX: https://johnwebbs.com/
Written by Todd Zimmerman
Producer of the John Webbccast
